Legislative hearings open on Jindal's budget proposal

BATON ROUGE - The House budget committee is starting its hearings on Gov. Bobby Jindal's $24.6 billion spending plan recommended for next year.

Lawmakers are looking for ways to close a $1.6 billion budget gap in the fiscal year that begins July 1 and avoid deep cuts to colleges and health services.

Some of the governor's recommendations for raising new dollars have been met with skepticism, particularly a proposal to scale back spending on tax break programs that pay out more in credits than taxes owed.

The House Appropriations Committee starts combing through Jindal's budget proposal Tuesday, doing a department-by-department review over several weeks. Members of the public can lodge their comments about Jindal's proposals during April 14 and 15 meetings.

Lawmakers won't craft a final version of next year's budget until June.